New Mexico Chapter
of the Living New Deal
The New Mexico Chapter is devoted to preserving the state’s New Deal legacy through the identification, documentation, preservation and public education about its New Deal sites and their profound impact on Americans in the Great Depression—specifically through the visual and performing arts, literature, crafts, structures, and environmental projects.
We have Joined forces with the Living New Deal to help further our educational and communication efforts that we started many years ago as a chapter of the National New Deal Preservation Association
Be sure that you sign up for the Living New Deal Newsletter. Just click the following button to join our email list.
The NM Chapter has identified in the state New Mexico all the known New Deal Public Art and has had professional evaluations of their condition. When funds were available, we have provided funding to restore, conserve or preserve most of the art, as needed, and there’s still more work to do. Numerous New Deal public buildings and national, state, and city parks and monuments have been identified.
Educational programs have been presented about these treasured findings across New Mexico, including “NM Fireside Chats” lectures and our Traveling Photo Exhibit of the artwork has been seen in numerous towns and is still available to rent.
We reprinted the New Mexico WPA’s Federal Music Project book on Spanish American Music in New Mexico. Interviews with the remaining 19 WPA artists in New Mexico were completed prior to their passing. View more specifics in WPA Projects.
Shop With Purpose
We are a 501(C)(3) Non Profit. All Store Proceeds go towards our efforts to preserve New Deal sites around the state and educate the public about this American history.
WHAT’S NEW WITH THE NEW DEAL?
Check out our latest blogs, news, events and projects…
New Mexico’s New Deal Artists
Are Still A Big Deal
We’re home to over 100 New Deal Works of art. Your donations allow us to ensure these historical works are preserved for future generations.
Stuart Walker
“ABSTRACT” located at ENMU, PORTALES, NM
Originally from Indiana, Walker studied at the Herron School of Art in Indianapolis and for many years was a naturalistic painter. After he moved to Albuquerque, NM, Walker frequently chose his subject matter from the state’s landscape and the distinctive architectural forms of its Spanish-style churches. In addition, horses, Native American women, and the Southwest’s unique plant life were favored themes.
E. Boyd
Spanish Colonial Design Portfolio Plate 21
Boyd moved to Santa Fe, New Mexico, in the fall of 1929. She received funding from the Fine Arts Program of the U.S. General Services Administration to complete watercolors and conduct research documenting designs from 18th and 19th century artifacts in New Mexico. These watercolors were used by Manville Chapman to create woodblocks that were then hand-colored by numerous individuals and reproduced in 1938 in the Portfolio of Spanish Colonial Design in New Mexico. The Portfolio was a forerunner of and contributor to the national Index of American Design.
Sheldon Parsons
“PURPLE & GOLD IRIS” located at CARRIE TINGLEY HOSPITAL, ALBUQUERQUE, NM
Seeking a new start and a healthier climate, Parsons drove West with his daughter to Santa Fe. When he experienced the vivid colors and soft architecture of the Southwest, he never painted figures again. A Santa Fe art colony was not established until 1921, but Parsons became one of the earliest resident artists and was known for his "happy, serene, impressionist landscapes."
Pablita Velarde
“GOVERNOR GREETS TOURISTS” located at BANDELIER NATIONAL MONUMENT, NM
A young Pablita Velarde of Santa Clara Pueblo, New Mexico, was commissioned to create scenes of traditional Pueblo culture for the museum at Bandelier. From 1937 to 1943, she produced over 70 paintings to help visitors understand the ancestral Pueblo sites at Bandelier National Monument. Velarde has said that these are some of her most meaningful works.
William Henderson
“OLD CUBA ROAD” located at US COURT HOUSE, SANTA FE, NM
In 1916 Henderson moved to Santa Fe. His emotive, high-keyed color and decorative spatial treatment suggest Post-Impressionism applied to distinctly Southwestern imagery. His work was an inspiration to avant-garde as well as conservative painters in the Southwest.
Tom Lea
“CONQUISTADOR” located at NMSU FINE ARTS, LAS CRUCES, NM
Lea was a lifelong resident of El Paso, TX. This mural is 15” and presents the Spanish conquest and late historical developments of the area. Lea Researched his material in Santa Fe using documents from the Palace of the Governors as sources to ensure historical accuracy.